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  • thoroughbred
    thoroughbred
    adjective
    of pure or unmixed breed, stock, or lineage, as a horse or other animal; bred from the purest and best blood.
  • Thoroughbred
    Thoroughbred
    noun
    a British breed of horse the ancestry of which can be traced to English mares and Arab sires; most often used as a racehorse
Synonyms

thoroughbred

American  
[thur-oh-bred, -uh-bred, thuhr-] / ˈθɜr oʊˌbrɛd, -əˌbrɛd, ˈθʌr- /

adjective

  1. of pure or unmixed breed, stock, or lineage, as a horse or other animal; bred from the purest and best blood.

  2. (sometimes initial capital letter) of or relating to the Thoroughbred breed of horses.

  3. (of a person) having good breeding or education.


noun

  1. (initial capital letter) one of a breed of horses, to which all racehorses belong, originally developed in England by crossing Arabian stallions with European mares.

  2. a thoroughbred animal.

  3. a well-bred or well-educated person.

thoroughbred 1 British  
/ ˈθʌrəˌbrɛd /

adjective

  1. purebred

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a pedigree animal; purebred

  2. a person regarded as being of good breeding

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Thoroughbred 2 British  
/ ˈθʌrəˌbrɛd /

noun

  1. a British breed of horse the ancestry of which can be traced to English mares and Arab sires; most often used as a racehorse

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of thoroughbred

First recorded in 1695–1705; thorough + bred

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The Jockey Club, a thoroughbred registry and leading industry group, brought in consultants from McKinsey to help.

From The Wall Street Journal May 1, 2026

He received 100 thoroughbred horses and a Lexus.

From The Wall Street Journal Jan. 27, 2026

Dale Romans, a thoroughbred racehorse trainer, has also made waves in the race since entering the primary in November, though no polling has been conducted that includes Romans.

From Salon Dec. 19, 2025

Barry Hills: British thoroughbred horse trainer had 3,181 winners in Britain and won four of the five British Classics at least once.

From BBC Dec. 18, 2025

The only thing to do right now is gallop like a thoroughbred as fast as your bike will possibly go, and race for your life.

From "Booked" by Kwame Alexander

Fierceness finishes ahead of Preakness Stakes winner Journalism to win the $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club on Saturday.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 30, 2025

“Journalism has been grand since the Kentucky Derby and trainer Michael McCarthy has greenlighted him to head to Pimlico for the 150th Preakness,” controlling owners Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners posted on X on Sunday.

From Los Angeles Times May 12, 2025

“Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners was the first outfit to send me horses and we’ve had a growing relationship ever since, a successful relationship,” McCarthy said.

From Los Angeles Times May 1, 2025

Wellman left Team Valor to start his own ownership group, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, in 2011.

From Los Angeles Times May 1, 2025

He said, “I can have anybody I want in my group”— implying that he didn’t want her because she wasn’t good enough—and he mentioned the great Thoroughbred stallion Secretariat.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

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